Vacuum cleaners are typically of the upright or cylinder type. Cylinder cleaners consist of a main body containing a motor and fan unit for drawing an airflow into the main body and separating apparatus for extracting dirt and dust from the airflow and retaining it for disposal. The separating apparatus can be a cyclonic arrangement, bags, filters or a combination of these. A hose and wand assembly is connected to the inlet of the main body. A floor tool having a suction opening is attached to the end of the wand remote from the main body so that the suction opening can be manoeuvred across the surface to be cleaned by the user. Upright cleaners commonly have a cleaner head permanently attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner which is manoeuvred, together with the main body, across the surface to be cleaned. However, many upright cleaners can also be operated in the manner of a cylinder machine by having a removable or releasable hose and wand assembly provided to which an accessory such as a floor tool can be attached.
Conventional floor tools typically comprise a housing which defines a downward-facing suction opening and in which is arranged a driven agitator in the form of a brush bar or beater, for example. Dirt and dust is dislodged from the carpet or other floor covering by the rotating brush bar or beater and the dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner head by virtue of the suction produced by the downstream fan. Dirt laden air is then passed to the separation apparatus before clean air is expelled to the atmosphere.
The agitator may be driven by a dedicated motor, typically located on the floor tool. Power and signals may be provided between the main body and this dedicated motor by means of electrical connections. Conventionally, this is effected by means of wires running inside, or alongside, the hose and wand assembly.
It has been proposed to make vacuum cleaners more compact so that they can be more conveniently stored. To achieve a more compact cleaner for storage, it is known to provide a wand comprising a plurality of telescoping tubes. The tubes may be extended for use and retracted for storage. However, this type of telescoping wand is not suitable for use with vacuum cleaners requiring an electrical connection between the main body and a floor tool, owing to the difficulty of maintaining a reliable electrical connection between the sliding tubes.